This series chronicles Mike’s adventures throughout the US and Canada, offering raw and unpolished glimpses into his life.
Mike’s life is deeply rooted in his Steel Valley upbringing, but shaped by his travels throughout North America and a lasting desire to build a better home back in Ohio.
Featured Chapters
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Columbus Side B
2023 - present
Mike returns to Columbus, 6 years after moving away, and finds a city in transformation.
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Street Cred
Mike chronicles times in his life when he was unhoused, living on the streets of Portland, Chicago, Columbus, Alexandria, New Orleans, Natchez, and Mansfield.
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Calling My Bluff
Feb 2023
This collection covers Mike’s adventures during Feb 2023 in the town of Natchez, Mississippi, when a Grindr date abruptly goes awry during a roadtrip into the lad’s hometown.
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Down South
2021-2023
This collection spans Mike’s time living in Alexandria, working in Central Louisiana to maintain, upgrade, and restore after extreme weather its electric substations.
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Paradise in Smoke
2020
This collection covers Mike’s move to Portland, Oregon - a paradise in the biblical sense - a cascading hell beneath the alluring veil of beauty and pretense.
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Pardon My French
2018-2019
This collection covers Mike’s return to Montreal as an American foreigner working in a Canadian utility firm in a strictly French-speaking utility industry.
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Trans || Americas
June - Dec 2017
This collection remembers the 25,000 miles I traveled through 13 Western states with my boyfriend Matt, a long-haul flatbed truck driver.
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Dashcam POV
2012-2018
Collection of Mike’s episodes taking place onboard his beloved blue Mazda - Osiris.
I’m Still Standing
To exist is political. Mike looks back on his 3-year quest with both triumph and remorse, performing a cappella the Elton John smash hit "I'm Still Standing."
Ignorance vs Arrogance
Mike discusses the concept of ignorance, particularly in the context of political and social discourse.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
These episodes focus on the concept of artificial intelligence (AI), exploring various facets of intelligence itself and distinguishing real from artificial intelligence. We question how intelligence is defined, debate whether it involves acquiring and retaining information, goal-oriented learning, and the ability to adapt or alter goals.
Fall and Football
Mike takes a walk through The Ohio State University campus during a picturesque autumn afternoon, reflecting on the recent Presidential election in the US and describing a personal sense of shock and a collective desire to avoid the topic.
WANDA’s Legacy
Broadcasting in transit aboard a commuter bus in Columbus, Mike reflects on his relationship with WANDA, the bright musical baton that routinely accompanies his commutes throughout the city, discussing the factors that necessitated its creation in the first place - unsafe streets that expose pedestrians to motor vehicle collisions and tragic accidents - and remembering its evolution into a political creed for pedestrian safety and commuter accessibility.
How My Hometown Has Changed
Mike expresses his deep concern for the political shift in his home state of Ohio, attributing it partly to demographic changes linked to the shale gas boom and an exodus of college-bound graduates away to coastal cities.
Humility, Listening & Understanding
Mike shares his thoughts on the declining state of American society, emphasizing the loss of humility and genuine understanding in online and real-life conversations.
Mike also expresses his deep concern for the political shift in his home state of Ohio, attributing it partly to demographic changes linked to the shale gas boom and an exodus of college-bound graduates away to coastal cities.
Conservatively Speaking
Mike explains his conservative political views, reframing it with the intent of restraining government and/or curbing societal excesses. He likens our persisting depletion of resources to the consumption of frozen beverages in that it occurs in abrupt stages, rather than a linear decrease in supply.
From Montreal
Mike reports from his temporary apartment in Montreal, enjoying a cigarette and gawking at the neighbors from his balcony. He encourages his friends in the United States to overcome internal divisions and find a collaborative agenda to address the country's instability.